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' G. A. LOWRY.

AUTOMATIC FEEDER FOR TWINE MACHINES.

Patented Feb. 14, 1893,

NITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.-

GEORGE A. LOWRY, OF DES MOINES, IO,WA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS,TO THE VVARDER BUSHNELL & GLESSNER COMPANY, OF SPRING- FIELD, OHIO, ANDTHE WALTER A. WOOD MOWING AND BEAPING MA- OI-IINE COMPANY, OF HOOSIOKFALLS, NEW YORK.

AUTOMATIC FEEDER FOR TWINE-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 491,947, dated February14, 1893. Application filed December 22, 1890. Serial No. 375 .524- (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concerm Be it known that I, GEORGE A. LOWRY,a citizenof the United States, residing at Des Moines, in the county of Polk andState of .Iowa, have invented a new and useful Improvement in AutomaticFeeders for Twine- Machines, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement to in the automatic feeders fortwine machines of the general class of which Patent No. 451,497, grantedto me May 5, 1891, is an instance, and it consists in the constructionsubstantially as hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

Like letters of reference are used to designate similar parts in theseveral figures of the drawings, in which,

Figure 1, is a rear elevation of my improved 2o feeder; Fig. 2, is aperspective view of the feeder; and, Fig. 3 is a view in detail of acouple of the links of the chain.

RR, designate upright posts, forming parts of the frame of the twinemachine, and, also, supports for the platform of my improved feeder.

S, designates aplatform of considerable size which I preferably mount inan inclined position upon the posts R; and this platform 3 supports theWorking parts of the feeder. At

the bottom of the platform, I find it convenient to secure a footboard,T, against which the butts of the grass may rest; and at the upper endof said platform I may attach a bent bar, L, for supporting the heads ofsaid grass. Attached to said platform by hinged straps, K, K, the lowersides of which bear on springs encircling headed bolts, is a short rodH, which is normally forced upward and holds 4 the grass against thenippers, but yields to them as they pass.

G, represents a slot cut through the platform near its end, which has apurpose hereinafter to be set forth.

Arranged upon the face of the platform are two guide bars, V, V, whichconstitute a way for an endless chain. One end of these guide bars maybe turned up and projected backward, as is shown, and to the projectingbackward portion I prefer to hinge corresponding bars, B, B, as isclearly shown in Fig. 2. The bars B, B, serve to hold the material downand keep it from buckling up while it is being fed by the chain againstthe turned up portion of the guide bars V, V, which latter turned upportions are designated by the letters E, E, and serve as stops orabutments. The endless chain is formed of links in the well knownmanner, and at suitable intervals is provided with paddles, m, m, whichare pivoted in the links P, P, of the chain and have projectinghorizontal portions, 0, which normally ride upon the top surface of thetable and thus hold the paddles in a vertical position. When however thehorizontal portions 65 O, reach the slot G, in the platform, they willbe forced by the pressure of the burden which the paddles are-carryingto pass through the slots, and thus fold the paddles and release thehold of the latter upon the grass. The chain may be caused to move inany well known manner, but I prefer to employ a weight, D, connected tosaid chain by means of a cord,d, and hook, as is shown in Fig. 1. Theplatform may have suitable friction rollers a, a at its end around whichthe chain may pass freely. The hinge bars, B, B, may befastened to thebars, V, V, at the free ends of the former; but I have found itconvenient to use the pins, 0, c, which pass through apertures in theends of the bars B, B, and may have cross pins to lock them in position.

The wide platform which I employ is capable of holding a large armful ofgrass, and a chain with paddles such as is shown will carry the grassforward until it is pressed against the upright portion of the guidebars, where it will be compactly held while the nippers of the generalclass shown and described in my. Patent No. 451,497, dated May 5, 1891,will enter the mass of grass thus held, and draw out a few blades. Theplatform holds enough to run the machine for one hour, as I constructit, and thus will enable one man to attend to a large number ofmachines.

It is obvious that many variations will readily suggest themselves to askilled mechanic, and I wish it to be understood that I do not limitmyself to the exact construction shown and described.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. The combination with a twine or twisting machine of an automaticfeeder com prising a support for the material, an endless convcyerprovided with paddles for feeding such material, and a stop arranged inthe path of the material and adjacent to the twine machine proper;whereby piles of material are formed in a position to be acted upon bythe mechanism on the twine machine; substantially as shown anddescribed.

2. In an automatic feeder for a twine machine the combination of aplatform provided with guide bars formed at one end into stops orabutments, confining bars hinged to such guide bars, an endless chainprovided with paddles traveling between the guide bars and under thehinged confining bars; substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In an automatic feeder for a twine machine the combination of aplatform with a slot therethrough, and an abutment or stop thereon, ofan endless con veyer provided with paddles having horizontal extensionswhich normally ride upon the platform and hold the paddles in positionbut pass through the slots at the end of the platform and allow thepaddies to fall, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In an automatic feeder for a twine machine the combination of aplatform an endless conveyor traversing the same, stops or abutments inthe path of travel of the conveyer, and a weight connected to the latterso as to serve as a motor to move the same; substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

5. In an automatic feeder, a platform of considerable size, an endlesseonveyer provided with paddles, guide bars for the conveyer, verticalabutments or stops at one end, and confining bars hinged thereto,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In an automatic feeder, the combination of a platform provided withslots therethrough, guiding bars arranged thereon having abutments atone end, confining bars hinged thereto, and suitable means for securingthe sameat their free ends, a chain havin g pivoted paddles providedwith horizontal projections, which normally ride upon the platform whichlatter holds the paddles in a perpendicular position, and devices fordriving the chain, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. In an automatic feeder for a twine machine the combination of aplatform with guide bars having stops or abutments and a spring actuatedclamping bar arranged at the lower side of such platform with an endlessconveyer coacting with such parts; substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, this 2d day of September, inthe presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE A. LOWRY.

IVitnesses:

H. T. TEAL, has A. MERRITT.

